A Blog for The Thinking Muslim

Category: History

Early Childhood He was born as Muhammad ibn Abdullah (pbuh) in the year 570 CE in Mecca. He was a direct descendant of Ismaeel through Ibrahim. His father’s name was Abdullah and his mother’s name was Amina. His father died a few months before his birth on a business trip. After he was born, he was sent by his mother to live with a Bedouin family for a few years in the desert and be nursed, as desert life was customarily considered healthier for infants. There Muhammad (pbuh) stayed with his foster-mother, Halimah bint Abi Dhuayb, and her husband until…

The rightly guided caliphate was the period of spread of Islam to various corners of the world. The companions and the soldiers of Allah fought for the cause of Allah and to spread the revealed word of Allah to the far corners of the world. The four guided caliphs were not interested in worldly interests but preservation of the religion of Allah and abiding by the teachings of Muhammad (pbuh). As for Banu Umayyah, the love of the world had crept into their hearts and they transformed the honorable system of caliphate into a kingship. They began to indulge in…

Following is an excerpt from our much larger essay entitled: Evidences for the Obligation of a Muslim Woman’s Headscarf (Khimar) & Outer Garment (Jilbaab). If there has always been a consensus over the obligation of a Muslim woman’s headscarf (khimar) and outer garment (jilbaab), then where does the idea of rejecting the Islamic veil as a religious obligation come from among some Muslims? It seems to have two root causes for its existence. First, during the reign of Western imperialism in Muslim lands, they used to look down on the practice of veiling for Muslim women and thought it should be…

Following is an excerpt from our much larger essay entitled: Evidences for the Obligation of a Muslim Woman’s Headscarf (Khimar) & Outer Garment (Jilbaab). Today, the idea of covering the head for women has become associated exclusively with Islam. It is seen as something which is derogatory and only practiced within Islam. However, throughout history many other civilizations also practiced this concept in one form or another. It is only post-Renaissance that this action has gradually become abandoned among women. In France, from 1485-1510, covering the head was a show of virtue and honor. In fact, “married women’s headdresses completely concealed…

The ‘rightly guided’ period is the 30 year reign of the first four caliphs of Islam after the death of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). These four caliphs were some of the closest companions of the Prophet (pbuh) and his strongest adherents. Each one of them had particular special merits which distinguished him from the others. They were not just great leaders of the Islamic state but also righteous worshiping slaves of Allah. The term ‘rightly guided caliphs’ was coined by the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) himself during his lifetime. It is reported by one of his companions that…

Dr. Yasir Qadhi goes into detail on the issue of eemaan (faith) in relation to actions in this video. He points out that the bulk of the Muslim world, the mainstream, has always held the opinion that some actions are part of faith. However, the scholars differed as to what those actions are. In other words, there are some actions whose absence can lead the person to be thrown out of the fold of Islam. He/She will no longer be considered a Muslim due to the absence of these vital actions. They are a testament to the existence of eemaan in the person’s heart…

His Name The name Yusha (يوشع) is the Arabic form of the Hebrew name Yehoshua (يهوشواع). It means “Yahweh (God) is salvation.” This name was given to him by Prophet Musa (Moses) because his original name was Hoshe’a (شواع) but Prophet Musa added the first part and made it Yehoshua (يهوشواع). The name is shortened to Yeshua (يشوع) in the Old Testament. In the English world, he is known as Joshua in the Bible. His Lineage His full name was Yusha son of Nun, son of Ephraim, son of Prophet Yusuf (Joseph), son of Prophet Ya’qub (Jacob), son of Prophet Ishaaq (Isaac), son of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham). So Yusha is…